A DEEP DISH OF DARKNESS

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vowed not to give in to Donald Trump’s strongarm tactics. “I’m not going to bend or break,” Johnson told What A Day.

• President Donald Trump’s administration is ramping up military-style immigration raids on Chicago. The onslaught comes soon after Trump proposed that the armed forces use U.S. cities as “training grounds.” Concerns are now mounting even higher as 200 National Guard troops from Texas prepare to deploy as soon as Tuesday to America’s third-largest metropolis, where they’ll find a city in turmoil, largely thanks to the unhinged tactics of another powerful force dispatched by Trump: Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

• Local leaders are pledging to push back. “We have a president who is trampling all over the Constitution,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told What A Day in an exclusive interview this afternoon.

• ICE agents have conducted sweeping raids across Chicago over the past few days, employing combative tactics that local leaders and residents say are sparking chaos and sowing fear. Agents stormed an apartment complex using a Black Hawk helicopter while families slept, sprayed tear gas near a public school, handcuffed a city council member in a hospital, and pinned protestors to the concrete.

• Adding to the dystopian vibes, DHS Secretary Krist Noem brought along far-right YouTuber Benny Johnson to document the whole thing. “These are exactly the kind of people that we want to be pissing off,” the right-wing media figure said, amid footage of him strolling through by protestors and an immigration center alongside Noem. “We have to come up with a name for this facility … the Deep Dish Deportation Center.” Whenever you think MAGA can’t go lower, they find a way….

• “Their plan all along has been to cause chaos, and then they can use that chaos to consolidate Donald Trump’s power,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told a press conference today. Illinois sued to block the deployment of the National Guard, but a judge initially declined to halt their arrival.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said that Pritzker and Johnson are “scared for their lives” because of crime in Chicago. Johnson begs to differ.

• “I’m not intimidated. I’m not going to cower. I’m not going to bend or break,” Mayor Johnson said. “We’re going to stand up and resist this authoritarian rule, and we’re going to demonstrate to the rest of the country why it’s important that we fight hard to defend our democracy and to protect the humanity of every single individual.”

• The mayor signed an executive order today establishing “ICE-free zones,” banning agents from using city property as staging ground for raids. What if ICE simply ignores that order? “We’ll use every single tool that is available to hold them accountable, and that includes our legal system,” Johnson said.

• Trump has claimed his feds are surging into blue cities to fight crime. But Johnson dismissed the idea, pointing out that summer homicides in Chicago are at their lowest point in six decades.

• Trump’s attacks on Chicago appear to only be the beginning. Last night, U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut temporarily blocked the deployment of hundreds of California National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. Other mayors need to stand firm to protect democracy, Johnson said.

“We have a Congress and the United States Supreme Court that refuses to provide check and balance,” Johnson said. “What we’re doing in Chicago is just that.”

THE STRUGGLE ISRAEL

A progressive activist from California was aboard a boat carrying aid to the Gaza Strip last week when Israeli soldiers intercepted it. Now, his family says he’s in prison.

Israeli forces intercepted dozens of ships that were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver medicine and food to Palestinians.

As his ship was surrounded, Adler detailed the harrowing situation in a phone call with What A Day, saying that he expects to be imprisoned for days or weeks. Adler’s mother later confirmed that he’s in an Israeli prison. Several other Americans were also detained.

Israel deported 170 activists who were aboard the flotilla today, including Swiss climate activist Greta Thunberg. Some of them alleged misconduct against Israeli forces, such as being crammed into a prison van with hands zip-tied behind their backs.

“Constant stress and humiliation,” said activist Paolo De Montis, accusing a soldier of slapping him on the back of the head if he looked up. “They forced us to stay on our knees for four hours.” Others say they were beaten, kicked and locked in a cage. (Israel denies all claims of misconduct.)

House Democrats from California signed a letter today calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to advocate for the release of Americans on the flotilla who were detained by Israel.

Staff for Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla have also been in touch with the State Department and the Israeli embassy about Adler’s detainment.

“We’re continuing to gather details regarding his transfer and are urgently calling for his release. We have been communicating updates we receive directly to his family,” Padilla’s office told What A Day.

WHAT ELSE?

Negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began in Egypt today. Hamas agreed to part of Donald Trump’s peace plan but wants more time to iron out details. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE OR, MASSIVE BLOODSHED WILL FOLLOW — SOMETHING THAT NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!” Trump ominously posted on social media yesterday.

It’s official: Former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss is about to become the new editor-in-chief of CBS News. Paramount finalized a deal to buy The Free Press, Weiss’s unapologetically anti-woke and pro-Israel website, for $150 million. Will appointing a controversial opinion columnist as the head of news make the outlet more trustworthy? Only time will tell…

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the confidant of deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell’s lawyers argued that she shouldn’t have been tried or convicted for her role in luring young girls into Epstein’s orbit.

Today marks Day 6 of the government shutdown, and things are going nowhere fast. “There’s nothing to negotiate, just reopen the government, and then we can talk about all the important issues facing our country,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters today, reiterating Trump’s view. Yesterday, Trump said that any federal employees who are fired by his administration during the shutdown would be “Democrat layoffs.” Doesn’t work like that, buddy!

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs is spending billions on questionable and fraudulent disabilities benefits, according to a Washington Post investigation. “Millions of the claims are for minor or treatable afflictions that rarely hinder employment, such as hair loss, jock itch and toenail fungus,” the outlet writes. The point of these payments are to help veterans whose ability to work is impaired. Then again… how bad is that toe fungus, exactly?

Police are investigating a massive fire that broke out at a house owned by South Carolina Judge Diane Goodstein, who has been critical of the Trump administration and reportedly received death threats for her work. Her husband, a former Democratic state senator, and their son are in the hospital with serious injuries.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned only 14 hours after appointing his cabinet. It’s the shortest-lived administration in recent French history, underscoring the chaos that threatens President Emmanuel Macron’s political future. Anyone else remember the time former French President Charles de Gaulle lamented: “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?...”

Light at the End of the Email…

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from detaining immigrant children until they’re 18 years old, then transferring them to adult prisons.

More than 40 states are in the process of accessing $5 billion in Biden-era funds for electric vehicle charging stations, according to a Politico analysis. It’s a rare bright spot for climate efforts amid Donald Trump’s attempts to rollback progress.

Costco pharmacies are now selling popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy at a discounted price. Ozempic will now be available out-of-pocket for $499 per month. An Ozempic injectable pen normally costs around $1,000.

Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine for their discoveries on how the human immune system works “and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases,” according to the committee chair.

Thailand held its annual water buffalo racing festival today — and dressed up the speedy beasts for a beauty pageant. Some buffalo wore extravagant, colorful headdresses adorned with beads and paper flowers. I suddenly have a great Halloween idea for my dogs.

Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” album sold 2.7 million copies in the United States on its first day, a new record for the pop star. Album reviews are mixed (and that song supposedly about Travis Kelce’s anatomy is… weird), but Swifties are a powerful force!